The Love that Binds Us
by Lidsworth
Summary: After a one night stand, Kakashi finds out he will be father. With little options, he and his girlfriend at the time decide to put the children up for adoption. The children are born and the two go their separate ways. But, years later, Kakashi is perplexed to spot a certain chunin teacher walking in the market with two twins who look identical to the Copy Ninja.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I know I said no more stories, but this idea has been nagging at me and I actually had some free time on my hands, so whadyaknow? Just another idea that's been sitting in my brain, I hope you like it, hope you review it. PLEASE REVIEW. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**OOOOO**

"I'm pregnant," she, the woman who would fade away in Kakashi's mind years later, had spoken to a young man who unprepared to be a father.

Obviously at the time, she'd sensed his demeanour, "It's alright, Daddy's taking me to the clinic, i'll get an abortion." She had said them so carefree.

Those words had numbed Kakashi, frozen him in his place. Though he wanted nothing to do with the children he had no love for, he didn't want them to be denied the chance of life either.

"No?" she had said as a response to Kakashi's immediate retort, "adoption? But i'll get fat and people will notice."

Kakashi shook his head, and came up with another alternative.

"Jutsu?" the pretty blond had replied, twirling a strand of her hair, "hide the pregnancy, but what about the pain?"

Kakashi shrugged, unsure of what to do or say in response to that.

"Guess i'll just deal with it, right? I mean you've dealt with pain before, i'm the niece of the feudal lord, I should be able to cope too."

And for nine months, the two stayed together, close knit and unbreakable. However, the Lady give birth to Kakashi's children, to Kakashi's twins. And as it had been planned before, they were given up to the adoption agency before they could even open their eyes.

And shortly after, the Lady had found a new love, and Kakashi had stopped loving. The two split and never saw each other again, their past and relationship known to only a few.

It ended with a drunken one night stand, and began with two white haired orphans.

OOOOO

A seventeen year old Iruka stared intently at the two children wrapped in bundles of blankets before him. He knew he should have been recovering rather than sneaking into the nursery in the middle of the night, but recently the young chunin felt like breaking the rules.

Holding on to his IV stand, be bent down and peaked his head further into the crib that both children occupied. They were young, very young, most likely just recently born.

In his heart, he felt a twinge of sadness as he took in their features. When being first admitted into the hospital, Mizuki had told him about some rumors speculating around the village, all involving Kakashi and his pregnant "girlfriend" who happened to be the niece of the Feudal Lord. Mizuki had reassured him that they were just rumors, knowing how Iruka thought about Kakashi, nothing more.

But looking at the identical features, looking at the white hair, Iruka knew the rumors weren't just rumors, they were real.

But still, Kakashi was a well known Jounin, he was practically wealthy. And this girl was apparently the feudal lord's niece, where were they?

"Aren't we supposed to be in bed?" an aged voice had called from behind Iruka. Swiftly, the seventeen year old twirled around, grabbing his stand for support.

"Hokage...sama, I was just," he drawled off, not entirely sure of what to say, "they're Kakashi's, aren't they?"

"Not anymore," the Hokage walked over to the thin boy, taking in his sickly features, "they were never going to be there's to begin with." The aged man looked into the crib.

"Oh," Iruka replied, his head suddenly dropping. From the beginning, had the initial plan been for these two to be denied love?

"They're twins, a girl and a boy. The girl will be an amazing ninja, I can tell that by looking at her, the boy however," his voice lowered, and he viewed the male with heavy eyes, "is blind."

Another blow to his chest, and Iruka felt his hand slowly cradling his heart.

"At such a young age?" he said a loud. The Hokage nodded, "Kakashi and his "misses" were drunk, and my speculations are she continued to drink throughout her pregnancy, and naturally, someone had to pay for it."

Suddenly, a flame of enragement sparked up in Iruka's heart, rage directed towards the two parents.

However, the Hokage's melancholy voice pulled him back to earth.

"She, the baby girl, would have been adopted sooner had the father, Kakashi, not made a request," he began. Iruka listened intently.

"That they too be adopted together, yet no family seems to want a blind son."

Figures. This was Konoha, a military village, there was no need for a blind child. Despite this, without hesitation, without even thinking, Iruka made the offer of a lifetime.

"Then, let me watch them...let me care for them?"the sickly boy, no older than seventeen, spoke sweetly, "so they won't have to rot away in an orphanage..."

The Hokage looked at him, his eyes intent and hard, "You Iruka? Don't make me laugh. You're still a child yourself, and not to mention, you've just recently relapsed into your illness as a result of your training."

"Meaning I will never be a jounin, I'll only leave the village for easy missions, and I'll be at home a lot to watch these two, "he argued, not knowing exactly why he was trying to stand up for them.

"Well," the Hokage began, obviously thinking this over, thinking hard"they must be adopted together...and no one will take on a blind son, it will be enough to dishonor an entire family...But seeing as you don't care, as of now...i'll place them in your name. _However_," Iruka stopped to listen, biting his bottom lip in triumph, "you'll continue to recover in the hospital. When you're released, you'll be learning to care for them. Until then, they'll be watched by nurses, but you'll be able to see them every day...Is this okay?"

A smile etched across Iruka's features, "Yeah...yeah it's fine," he looked at the two children, he looked as his children, "Do they have names?"

"Thing one and thing two.." the Hokage chided, receiving a surprised look from Iruka. The Hokage cleared his throat, "As of now, no, so i guess that will be left up to you later."

Iruka nodded, already contemplating an enormous lists of names fit to describe the two below him.

"Now Iruka, please return to your bed, the nurses will chew me out if they see you out and about like this, " The Hokage joked as he grabbed the young boy by the arm, "don't just stand there, they'll be here in the morning and they'll still be yours. Get your sleep Iruka, you'll need it. Caring for children isn't an easy task. Trust me, i'm a lot younger than I look."

Iruka looked back at the two as the Hokage dragged him away, a feeling of fulfillment and joy filling his heart with every step he took back towards his room.

_"They'll be here in the morning and they'll still be yours."_

He didn't know why he offered, but he figured it was because he knew how harsh orphanages were. He knew how hard a blind boy would struggle when the entire world would be dark to him, and he knew the feeling of being ignored as well as being split apart from your family. Iruka wouldn't allow them to suffer like he had, he wouldn't allow them to cry in agony and despair as he had. He would love them and care for them, even if they were the children of the one he loved and the one he hated.

They were children, innocent children. And though they would eventually to experience the real world when they got older, Iruka vowed to protect their innocence for as long as he could.

**Check out my new story with Sakumo and Kakashi, I hope you like that one xD I don't know, this may be all I post for this one, so to be safe, i'll say it's complete until i deem it otherwise. I really hope you enjoy this story, as this is just a prolouge. So i will continue it. Have a nice week, pray for victims of the tornado, pray for victims of world disasters , pray for yourselves and God bless :D **


	2. Surprising Discoveries

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter. You're probably like, "well i thought you wouldn't post," but I got stuck at my mom's job for four hours with no internet access and just microsoft word. So i couldn't study or do anything, than we went to a part in the city and it started raining like crazy. Also, the guy I liked graduated :D I never had a real converation with him : Anyway, enjoy this chapter because it'll be the last one for a few days. P.S, sorry for grammar/spelling mistakes. WATCH MERLIN, THE TITLE COMES FROM MERLIN, THE BBC DRAMA WITH COLIN MORGAN AND ANGEL COULBY!Oh, also, the title is a phrase that comes from Merlin. "The love that binds us is more powerful than the hate that separates us," King Arthur. **

**Disclaimer: I only own my characters, Iruka belongs to Kakashi (can be vice versa) while the other Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto. **

A young boy fiddled with his fork on his empty plate, his pale eyes looking out into the nothingness before him. With a sigh, he placed his fork on the table and jumped off of the stool he had been sitting on, immediately outstretching his arm in an attempt to feel his surroundings. Somewhere in the same room, the kitchen, an older man, much taller than the boy stood. Opposite features reflected on both figures, yet to the staggering child, colors or images made no difference. He slowly walked towards his target, his feet well trained on the wooden floors.

The distinctive scent of this man offered a path. The "clang clang" of the dishes guided the boy who walked in darkness. The sound amplified and suddenly stopped, the boy's hands had collided with the soft fabric of baggy pants and suddenly he fell forward, wrapping his arms securely around his father's leg.

He giggled and buried his face deeper into the fabric.

"Good job, you're getting better," Iruka chided as he bent forward and picked the boy up, standing tall and squeezing the figure to his own.

"Only because of you, Daddy," the boy responded as his eyes drifted downcast and his fingers threaded into Iruka's shirt, "are you going to work today? Can I go with you today?"

Iruka gently rubbed the white hair, "I don't see why not, Burne. Your sister is going to be there anyway, besides she's already attending the lower ranks of the Ninja Academy...and you, your classes are out for the summer, huh?"

Iruka could feel the boy nodding against his chest, "Yep, no ninja, no school! I get to spend time with Daddy and Emmy!"

Iruka chuckled; his son wasn't as independent as he usually was. Perhaps the aspect of staying with Iruka had boosted his mood just a little.

"Okay, i'll put you down and you go get ready," Iruka said as he slowly completed the said action. He looked at the blind boys outstretched arms slowly fall to his sides. The mirror image of a younger Kakashi walked out of the kitchen, but not before flashing a grin back at Iruka.

Iruka watched him go, and then turned back to his dishes. They were clean, save for the one on the table left by Burne.

Iruka made his way towards the table, stumbling back quickly when a wild ball of energy paraded into the kitchen.

"I'm ready," she spoke quickly, her dark eyes wide and a smile etched on her face, "Brune told me we're taking him, and I'm happy we're taking him with us. I didn't want him to be by himself...And my classmates like him too."

Iruka raised an eyebrow, she was so uppity. A twinge in Iruka's stomach told him all this excitement was being directed towards some boy in her class, the "New Sasuke" of her generation. He cringed at the thought of a boy being around his precious daughter. Her mother was beautiful, and despite the fact she mostly took after her biological father, her mother's angelic features shone in her face. Her beauty in her youth was amazing; her beauty as she got older would most likely be outstanding.

Same with Burne. Taking after Kakashi qualified him for practically any partner he wanted, but that also qualified him for monsters who wanted him unjustly and unloving.

Iruka shivered as an all too familiar memory attempted to make its way through his head. The memory of being roughly forced on a bed and then being gagged felt all too familiar at the moment.

Iruka shook his head and looked towards his daughter.

"No flittering with the boys okay," _they just want to get in your pants. _

"I'm not flirting," her face flushed and she grabbed a stray strand of hair that fell into her face, "Just talking...Oh, do you like my braid? Burne did it for me when I taught him the finger motions; he's really smart for a blind boy, and ..."

Iruka smiled as she continued to speak, her sweet voice echoing in his ears. When she was finished, Iruka resumed speaking.

"Come on, let's go check on your brother," he said happily, "Oh, and how about I take you to the market to buy some snacks when the day's over?"

"Yeah!" Ember exclaimed, "let's get chocolate!"

OOOOO

Clung tightly to his hands, Iruka walked the two children through the village to the ninja academy. Burne stayed close to Iruka, the village not being as easily maneuvered to him as his house was. Ember, on the other hand, was as curious as ever. She looked around the village, commented on the greenery of her home, and continued to speak to Iruka about her day.

Looking at the two children now, he was openly proud of himself for raising them well. Never had they felt alone or unloved, and very rarely did they question Iruka about where they'd come from. Being the offspring of Kakashi, at a very young age, the two were intelligent and had known that they weren't Iruka's biological children. But to them, he was their real father and to him, they were his real children.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"School...Daddy I'm going to my class now, can I take Burne? Pleasseee!" the six year old begged as she grasped her father's hand and flashed two large googly eyes towards him.

He considered, but he couldn't let her cuteness get the best of him. She was conniving, very conniving, much like Kakashi.

"Burne needs to stay with me, I don't want him getting hit by any weapons or stray kunai you "hooligans" may throw," Iruka responded as his son grasped harder onto his leg, "but today will be a short day, I'll let classes out early so students can study for exams."

Though disheartened, she reluctantly pulled away, "Alright, see ya later." With a low crouch to the ground and high leap into the air, Ember jumped away from the two and towards her class. The wind gust blew against the couple and Burne looked up as if he could see something,

"Where do they go when they do _that_? Is that what you call flying?" Burne asked curiously as he turned his head towards the direction of his absent sister, "because I don't think she's here anymore."

"Oh, what do you mean by _they_?" Iruka bent down and picked the blind boy up, "do you mean shinobi?"

"Yeah, you're a shinobi, right?" asked the oblivious boy, "you do it too, except you go away quickly. Like "poof", then I feel something on my skin, like a sensation of a sort…"

Iruka walked and pondered on what his son was saying.

"Well, it's like instant teleportation, do you have an idea of what that is?" he asked the small boy.

"Yeah, Ember told me a bit about it, is that what you do when you "poof" away?" he asked excitedly as the idea of a ninja floated into his head.

"Yeah, it is, it's a basic ninja technique," Iruka said smartly as he neared the door of the Academy, "had your sister stuck around to listen; perhaps she could have learned an extra thing or two."

Burne's shoulders sagged, "She's training to become a shinobi, isn't she? I hear that she's pretty good at it too that she's really powerful. I wish I could be a ninja."

Trap. Iruka had fallen into a pit without even noticing it.

Sighing, he raked his mind for a way to sort out this situation and to redirect the conversation. "Being a ninja isn't all it's cracked out to be," though his daughter was beginning to show signs of being a fine shinobi, being Kakashi's daughter, neither of them had known the bloodshed and the damage that came with being a ninja.

"What do you mean by that? I can hardly do anything," Burne said sadly as he buried his head into Iruka's shoulder, most likely to smother tears that threatened to spill. Through muffled lips, Iruka could here six penetrating words, "I want to be like you.."

"You can do things, Burne. Though you're blind, you make up for it with your artistic and academic talents. Though it's not ninja material you're learning, you're learning the science of the new generation and you're getting better at the piano, you've already surpassed others older than you. Not to mention, you practically have the nose of a dog, your sense of smell is incredible" Iruka reassured him.

With a sniffle, Burne lifted his head, "I'm only so good at piano because I don't have anything else to do. I'm good at science because I sit there and listen to the teacher speak for hours nonstop with nothing to see, no distractions…just, what do you call it? Blackness, darkness? I don't even know what I see, I don't even know what it means to see…And the smell thing, it's more annoying than helpful!"

"You can use it to the best of your abilities, " Iruka opened the door to the Academy, "that's a basic ninja tip as well. Apply your abilities toy your situation."

The boy on his back sighed and wiggled to be put down, "Yeah, I guess."

**OOOOO**

As the students came inside of the classroom, Burne made his way to the most comfortable place in the classroom, under Iruka's desk. At least in his opinion it was. There was already a small mat with a thin blanket nestled under the desk, along with a pillow. Whenever Burne stayed with Iruka, if he had nothing else to do (which was usually the case), he slept for hours under Iruka's desk.

And so there he was, lying comfortably under the desk, allowing Iruka's strong voice to sooth two lazy eyes to sleep.

**OOOOO**

"Wakey-wakey," Iruka said as he gently shook the boy underneath his desk, "time to go to the market." Burne yawned, "Can we buy Ramen? Will Naruto be at Ichiraku's?"

Burne stood up and reached for Iruka's leg, immediately threading his fingers into the fabric when he reached it.

"Ahh, Ramen? You wanna get some Ramen with Naruto later?" Iruka implied.

"Yeah, if he's around," Burne said as he kept with Iruka's pace.

Dirt, steel and grass filled Burne's nostrils until the scent completely overcame him. "I think that Ember's coming."

"How do you-" and before Iruka could finish, Ember was already rushing in, running full speed at Iruka.

"Daddy," she jumped towards him, and with strong arms, he caught her and held her, "I a lot of fun today, we were jumping on some more trees and we had a race and I won! Oh, hey Burne, some of my friends want to say hi to you again."

Burne's face reddened, "Oh, um okay, tell them thanks."

Iruka didn't miss this exchange.

"Now can we please go to the market, I'm starving," she exaggerated as she rubbed her stomach with her hand that wasn't wrapped around Iruka's neck, "let's get some chocolate, or Ramen!"

They had grown very fond of the orange clad ninja. He stopped by and visited them a lot, and ever since he'd graduated and received days off, he had babysat them while Iruka was gone.

"_You should find a partner, Iruka_-_Sensei_!" Naruto would always say, complimenting his Sensei on his looks and pointing out that many people, male and female, stared at Iruka in a "loving way". Iruka would love to argue with Naruto that the way they looked at him wasn't "love" at all; in fact it was obsessive, lustful. Ever since his last attempt to find someone who cared for him, he told himself he could do find all by himself. He didn't want his trust shattered again.

Tenzou had also been one notorious for offering Iruka dating advice and telling him what certain ANBU members thought of him, but he stopped giving advice around the same time Iruka had sealed off his heart.

Mizuki had tried to help too, but Mizuki was an idiot.

"Okay you two, let's go to the market, maybe we can catch Naruto before he eats all of the Ramen."

**OOOOO**

Why was Naruto so friendly? The question had been bugging Kakashi sense the Genin had been assigned into his squad. Surely, Naruto's kindness would get him killed. Today, the boy had just, out of the blue, invited him to come eat with him at the Ramen stand. Kakashi was planning to decline immediately, that is, until Naruto mentioned the name of a certain chunin.

The words, "I'll find Iruka-Sensei and ask him if he want to come too," had canceled out all ideas of Kakashi showing up late, or bailing out on Naruto altogether. Kakashi had made mistakes in his past, life changing mistakes. Some had been solved, such as the two children that were a result of his stupidity. Some had not, such as Obito dying under a rock because of Kakashi's arrogance, or letting Iruka get away because Kakashi had been "occupied" with an heiress at the time.

He nearly caused the scandal of the century.

But needless to say, Iruka wasn't his, and how he longed to own the chunin and claim him as the prize many ninja dreamed of getting. All in all, unbeknownst to Iruka, he was dazzling. His ancestry was exotic to the village, and many speculated that Iruka's routes came from the heart of the fire country, way before the shinobi era or the five great nations. Way before war, Iruka's ancestry was tied to the earth and there were few left alive who were like him. Most of them had been killed or died from disease. Perhaps that was a reason why Iruka's health wasn't the best.

People wanted him, Kakashi wanted him. But Kakashi loved him too. He had always loved him and he was a fool to deny his own sexuality. However, as much as Kakashi loved him, he believed someone had already gotten to the chunin and not in the way Iruka had preferred.

It had been a hushed topic being passed around the Hokage's office. Iruka had been missing for months, and hardly anyone knew where he was. His location was only known to Tenzou , Mizuki and the Hokage. Kakashi had heard rumors about what may have happened to him and that he might have been in rehab as a result of it. Some had said that the Chunin relapsed into his illness again. The details were foggy, but from what Kakashi had finally gathered, someone whom Iruka had known broke into his home in the middle of night and tried to kill him, but that wasn't all there was too it.

Kakashi knew that a simple attempt on one's life wasn't enough to change them as much as it had Iruka. He was insecure, always kept to himself. His guard was always up, except around Naruto or those two kids' he'd apparently adopted.

Whatever the case was, there was blood at the crime scene, a lot of it. However, there were gags and other..bodily fluids as well.

Kakasi wasn't stupid, his best guess was that a date had gone wrong and Iruka paid for it with his virginity.

Needless to say, Kakashi wasn't one to back down from a challenge. If he had to mend the Chunin to be with him, he was ready to accept the task. As he walked through the crowed Market, he wondered when the last time he had felt this protective over someone was. Perhaps it had beenthe Feudal Lord's niece, or was that just temporary because of her pregnancy, had his body only felt obliged to protect her because she had been pregnant with his children?

For a while he believed that it had been love, that he had found his place in the world. But their touches became numb, and his lips against hers became cold. It wasn't love; it was just sex with strings attached. She wasn't supposed to become pregnant and two children weren't supposed to be forgotten.

Kakashi's heart lingered on those two faces daily.

On one side, he hated them for causing him so much pain, while on the other, he yearned to see their faces and to hear their voices. As he thought back on it, perhaps he should've allowed her to get an abortion, at least that way he'd know they were in a better place.

He looked up at the sky; the sun indicated it was about an hour past noon. Putting his hands in his pockets, Kakashi continued forward, slipping through the large crowds of people like water. He wouldn't have to be at Ichiraku's for a while, so he decided to browse through the different stands. He began staring at some wonderful blue fabric, perhaps he could use it_

Suddenly, a loud and obnoxious voice forcefully broke his concentration.

"HEY, IRUKA-SENSEI" he turned to see his student pushing through the mob of customers.

"Hey, watch it Naruto!"

"I'm standing here Naruto, go around me!"

"Naruto!"

"Watch where you're going!"

A chorus of phrases resounded from the crowd as Naruto fought his way through to see his favorite Sensei. Immediately, he collided with Iruka, bringing him down instantly.

Naruto sat on top of his Sensei, "Come to Ichiraku's with me and Kakashi-Sensei, and bring Ember and Burne too!"

"Hello to you too Naruto," Iruka said as he sat up with a heavy genin on top of him, "do you mind?" Obviously, the chunin was uncomfortable with his current position under his student. Naruto caught his drift, "Sorry Sensei, " he extended an arm to help the man up, "do you guys still want to come with me tonight, I'll pay!"

"With what money," Iruka took Naruto's arm and pulled himself up, "I'll pay for you and for these two."

"Cool Sensei!" Naruto ruffled Ember and Burne's hair, "yeah, we'll be there at around six, so you could continue to look around or go home and come back.

Both kid's wrapped their arms around Naruto and buried their heads in his abdomen, they absolutely loved him.

"Okay okay, I'll need to clean these two up though," he motioned towards the two hugging Naruto, "Come on munchkins, we'll see you later Naruto!"

As three walked off, Kakashi stared at them go from a distance. His eyes were glued to the two children. White hair, pale skin…and the boy, the boy was practically a mirror image of the Copy Ninja himself! He'd known that Iruka had adopted kids a while back, but he honestly didn't expect them to be his kids, the kids he was still trying to forget.

Perhaps it wans't them, perhaps they looked very similar to Kakashi but they weren't his. Maybe Kakashi could ask Iruka about it. But Iruka and Kakashi hardly spoke, and Kakashi gave of the intimidating atmosphere that Iruka hated so much. They weren't even friends.

So talking was out of the question.

Kakashi mentally kicked himself, he was a ninja. He could just spy on Iruka and could do so without being caught.

Waiting till the three had gone further off into the crowd, Kakashi followed in suit. He knew for a fact that those weren't his children, they couldn't be. They just looked a lot like him, but everyone in the world had a twin look alike, or two twin look a likes. Kakashi just had to put himself at ease and prove himself right.

If those were his children though, getting with Iruka would be a hundred times harder than it already was.

**I wanted to use traditional Japanese names for the children, but sadly the names in english that I wanted to correspond w/ them, it just didn't work. So, I just came up with Ember and Burne. The other names i came up with were Snow, Soot, Ash, Fire, and other Chrismas names. Their hair is white, I thought of a lot of Christmas like things. Also, Masashi Kishimoto uses names other than Japanese names, there's Killer Bee (most of the people in th cloud village), Sara (from one of the movies), Rock Lee, Tenten and Gui.**

**Oh, and there's obviously something alluding to a terrible event that happened to Iruka in the past, but i'll get to that in later chapters. You've probably already got an idea of what happened. I'll try to post some new pictures of Iruka's adopted kids on DA. His name isn't prounced Burneey, it's pronounced Burn.**

**Also, when I saw Burne has the nose of a dog, I don't mean it looks like a dog. I mean he has the senses of a dog. I got this from Kakashi telling Zabuza that if he couldn't sere Zabuza at least he could smell him, and then the Ninken came. Anyway, as for their ages and maturity. At age six, I was in first grade, I went to a Catholic school where language was strict, in our younger grades, "slang' wasn't tolerated. Yep folks, not even in Texas, but in my highschool years, it has prevailed. But anyway, I'm trying to make them as youthful and childish as possible, but I'm adding Kakashi's maturity into them as well. Ember obviously reflects her mother, so you'll see what her mother was like through her. **

**And I wanted to give the children personalities, not like the cliché mary sue personalities given to most kids from different fanfics, I wanted to use personalities from some of my different friends. So sorry if they're acting a little strange. Here's a trivia question, what is the difference between lust and love? **

**As for Iruka's heratige, when I see him, I think of gypsy/Native American or a little bit of Hispanic. I wanted to incorporate this into the story somehow, so I chose to kinda mix all of these three nationalities up and came up with a society living on the land way before ninja inhabited it and way before the Great Shinobi Wars.**

**You're probably wondering why this note was so long, because i've been making side notes as i write, so it's like a page long. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. Everyone, have a wonderful weekend, check out my other stories, and God bless:D **


	3. Closer pt1

**AN: This is the un Beta'd version. Thanks for all of the reviews. I'd like to respond to a few. Definition of Lust has nothing to do with this story. I just wanted to clear that misunderstanding up.**

OOOOO

The door was slightly open.

Warm water collided with tan skin, and finally, Iruka released a long needed sigh. The water slowly began to work its magic on tense muscles, and Iruka slowly felt himself melting away. A drew a stuttered breath, and leaned on the white walls of his shower. Bringing a finger to his scar, Iruka rubbed it just to make sure he was still awake.

There was no time for sleeping, both kids would be awake from their nap pretty soon. So, groggily, Iruka grabbed the soap from it's place engraved in the wall and used his towel to clean himself. As tired as he was, he seriously considered turning Naruto's dinner invitation down. After teaching a class full of killers, and straining his chakra to train them as well, he honestly didn't have the energy to carry out the day. Promising his kids that he'd take them to the market was a stretch as well, but he truly believed they deserved it.

Now fatigue and exhaustion were starting to eat up at him. He dreaded the weekends, he knew he'd be trapped in the missions room for hours and hours. And to top it off, he'd be surrounded by immature ninja who handed him reports that were worse than some of the paper's his students gave to him. He was almost certain that his voice would be screamed hoarse by the end of the weekend. Bringing a hand to his neck, Iruka tenderly traced his throat.

By now the entire restroom was filled with steam, and as Iruka rinsed himself off one last time and silenced the shower water, he stepped out into a blurry restroom and began drying himself off.

All the while, Kakashi stared in amazement and bewilderment as Iruka prepared himself for the dinner later that evening. Hidden well inside the shadows of the chunin's room, Kakashi's one visible eye consumed the sight before him. Already, but Iruka's body language, Kakashi could tell he was tired and exhausted. All the easier to take.

Kakashi roughly shook his head, no need to play the "Big Bad Wolf", when he took Iruka, it would be because the younger man wanted it. Not simply an action to relieve Kakashi's tension and satisfy his needs.

No, Iruka was much more than a toy to Kakashi. Though his body practically screamed to be touched, Kakashi knew the consequences of rushing things. Iruka's adopted children were one of them.

So he admired him from his own room, fighting his inner demons that told him to pounce on the tan skinned man as he walked out of the steam, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. Dark hair obscured Iruka's vision as he gently extended his arms to feel around his room. Kakashi fought the urge to step out of his hiding spot and help him, but he had a feeling that Iruka was just doing this for play and that there was no point of blowing his cover.

However, Kakashi forgot one thing about Iruka.

His use of echolocation.

More importantly, Kakashi had no idea he had it. And surprisingly, that worked entirely to Iruka's advantage.

"What are you doing in my room, who are you?" he asked calmly, slowly walking to his bed and retrieving his robe. He wrapped it around him, tightly, and began walking towards the spot of the intruder. "I know you're hiding there, I can "see" you," Iruka chided. Meanwhile, Kakashi was shocked. He'd heard about Iruka's ability to use echolocation, but he was unaware that it was good enough to spot an elite like him.

Well, no use in playing hide-and-go-seek with Iruka.

As Iruka's finger's inched closer to the spot hidden within the shadows, two of Kakashi's own came up to his face in a familiar hand sign.

Until later...Kakashi thought to himself as he quickly poofed away.

Startled by the puff of smoke, Iruka jumped back slightly. Suddenly, a sense of panic rose in his chest. Quickly, he ran to the kid's room to make sure the intruder wasn't hiding with them. Though he couldn't hear them, it never hurt to check twice.

Meanwhile, Kakashi sat on a tree branch and watched the scene from below him unfold. Sadly, his tendency to get distracted by a showering Iruka veered him off the path of his original mission: To find out if those brats were his brats.

At least he got a good show.

**You're probably like, "well that was short," but this is part 1. It's 11:57 p.m and i planned to post this earlier, but I didn't get to it :P, so i'll try to post the second chapter later today, since it's 12:00 a.m now :D Oh, and did you read the new Naruto chapter? I HATED IT, and i hated the last one. The manga is turning out to be some horribly written fanfiction. Anyway, have a nice week and God bless!**


	4. Closer Pt 2

**AN: I hope you all like this chapter a lot more than you liked the other one! I'm sorry it was so short, but I just had to get something out there. Anyway, hope you like this chapter, please review, criticism (constructive) is welcome, no flames please!**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**OOOOO**

Iruka yawned as one energetic child vigorously tugged on his sleeve and the other clung tightly to his pant leg. He felt like a zombie just being dragged around and forced to continue his day with little to no energy.

He wondered at times, why he couldn't just turn down Naruto's invitation to Ichiraku's. He had work the next morning, and he was well aware that eating out with his former student would result in an exhausting work day. And worst of all, he was still scrambling with making a decision as to where to keep the kids tomorrow.

They both hated the missions room, hated it with a passion. His shifts there were always slow pace, the children were refined to staying under his desk, and every five seconds they complained about wanting something to eat.

Therefore, it was a pain for the entire trio.

He had options, they didn't have to come. They begged to stay home alone, at least Emmy did, but it was very obvious that Burne had no intention of tagging along with Iruka to the missions room. However, he had never let them stay home alone, never.

Usually, when his friend, the current ANBU captain wasn't on missions, than Iruka would let Tenzou watch them. Tenzou wasn't one to complain, being the few to know the linage of the children, he thought it was kinda cool to be watching his "Senpai's" twins, and then meet the guy the next day.

Iruka figured that in Tenzou's mind by knowing the identity of Kakashi's children, he had the upper hand. Needless to say, he couldn't ask him though. He was almost certain he was on a mission.

There was Sakura, she volunteered to watch them. She loved babysitting, so it wouldn't be too far out of her comfort zone. However, with such late notice, he was unsure if she'd be able to do it. Which, unfortunately, automatically disqualified her for the job.

He could ask Naru...that was a bad idea. He'd "accidentally" give them caffeine again, and they would stay up all night.

So, unfortunately, with no other options and Iruka's tendency to procrastinate, it seemed as if his kids were going to be dragged into the missions room with him. He'd tell them when they got home, no need to sour their mood now.

Through the crowd of people, and the night lanterns illuminating the night, Iruka could see Ichiraku's up ahead.

With all the turmoil raging inside of his body, he didn't feel the need to sigh. A sigh was a release of tension, it meant things were resolved or being resolved.

Work, kids, babysitters and trespassers were things that swarmed in Iruka's head. He was still worried that this intruder that had been in his room was still residing in his house. What was their purpose there, what did they want?

More questions and fears added more weight onto the chunin's already heavily burdened shoulders. He would keep it to himself though, or at least try to. He didn't want to upset anyone with his problems, he was convinced he could deal with them by himself.

"Sensei!" in a rush, an orange blur slammed into him once again, momentarily knocking him over. Luckily, the crowd was small, so they hadn't collided into a large group of people.

Emmy had seen Naruto coming (her eyes were keen like Kakashi's) and had managed to move out of the way just in time, all the while, grabbing her brother in the process as well.

"I'm here Naruto," Iruka exclaimed, slightly annoyed in the genins tendency to pounce on him every time he saw him.

Still on top of Iruka, Naruto took notice of the two children standing beside the tan skinned man.

"Hey Emmy, hey Burne!" he greeted as he slowly crawled over Iruka and towards the two children.

"Hey Naruto," both replied.

"You sorta," Burne began, "knocked over my "guide"."

Naruto looked down and sheepishly grinned at the annoyed teacher under him, "Oops!" he beamed, "I just can't help myself!"

"Well, you can help me by getting off," Iruka offered to genin. Naruto, with his sheepish smile, stood up and offered the teacher a hand.

"Thanks," Iruka responded as Naruto helped him up. while doing so, he offered a hand to the two children.

Naruto led them to their seats at the counter. There were four people, but five seats...Could've just been by chance that it was empty, and that Naruto was waiting for no one. Iruka didn't know why it stood out to him so much.

"Oh, that seats just for Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto beamed, completely oblivious to the effect those words had just had on Iruka.

Iruka paled considerably, and a sickening feeling bubbled in his stomach.

"Who's that?" Burne asked curiously as he averted his gaze to where he sensed Naruto's presence.

"Think it's his Sensei," Emmy filled in.

"I thought," he turned towards Iruka, "You were his Sensei."

"Of course he is!" Naruto exclaimed, "but when I graduate the ninja academy, I get another Sensei!"

"Why?" Burne pressed on, eager to learn things that he'd never be able to experience.

Obviously, Naruto coulnd't explain it. Iruka considered it, maybe just to rush his "dinner date" with Naruto, and leave ASAP, but someone beat him to it.

"Maa..I'd say because Iruka Sensei already has too much work on his hands as it is," from nowhere (from a puff of smoke), the infamous Kakashi Hatake took his seat by an unsuspecting Burne as he filed in the smaller boys question.

Sensing a presence by him, smelling the distinctive smell of dirt and blood, sensing something that smelled so familiar to him, Burne took notice of this figure beside him. "Dad, who is this," Burne asked suspiciously, " who's this sitting by me?"

Iruka, however, didn't respond as the blind boy sat next to a mirror image of his older self. He could feel Kakashi's eyes fluctuating back and forth.

"I'm Kakashi Sensei," Kakashi replied coolly, though his one visible eye displayed a look of...panic.

Iruka's eyebrow twitched. "Hello, Kakashi-san," Iruka greeted as kindly as he could, attempting to stop the butterflies from fluttering in his stomach. He needed to avoid the unthinkable, avoid feeling from his past.

Why was he acting like this around the man? Well, despite from the fact that he'd adopted his two bastard children, he'd thought that he'd thrown away all past feelings for the man.

"Hello, Sensei...cute kids," Kakashi muttered awkwardly, and suddenly, things started fluctuating from there. (I was so tired last night that I planned on ending it here, but I opted out and went to bed! It's a good thing though, the chapter is longer.)

OOOOO  
Everyone in the world had a twin look alike, or at least, that's what Kakashi would stand by. Even if his case consisted of two twin look alikes that were miniature versions of him, and in the girl's case, a little bit of her mother.

Though emotionless on the outside, Kakashi was waging a mental war on the inside. THOSE WERE NOT HIS KIDS! He refused to believe they were his children,even if all of the facts were beginning to add up.

But something about the tension circulation around Iruka told him otherwise, told him that Iruka knew a little something that he didn't.

Glaring at the poor chunin would do nothing, besides, if he still wanted to get with Iruka he needed to appear somewhat normal and kind. He wanted Iruka for himself. So, he began with complimenting the children who _weren't his_.

What was with his questions anyway? Kakashi inspected this annoying child more closely.

To his surprise, the kid was completely blind. It was a miracle he sensed Kakashi next to him, but his questions and demand for answers didn't ease the mood.

All the while, Iruka eyed him angrily, as to say, "Don't judge him just because he's blind."

Kakashi needed to recover.

Though, his statement came out a bit awkward, especially after the boy paraded Iruka with questions regarding the Copy Ninja himself, he managed to find a reasonable phrase.

So, after introductions were somewhat made, Kakashi complemented the kids.

"Hello, Sensei...cute kids,"

All eyes capable of looking towards him did so.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san!" the girl said a little too happily, a little too fake. It reminded him of_ her_. "Thanks," the boy said silently, almost stoic and uncaring. It reminded him of his younger self.

"Hey, they sorta look like you Kakashi Sensei, anyway, time to order ramen!_Hey, Ichiraku! Five bowls!"

"Commin' right up, Naruto!" the cheerful man replied.

The tension was thick, extremely thick. And the only one's who seemed to acknowledge the feeling hanging over their heads had been Kakashi and Iruka.

Though they were apart, separated by three children, they could both feel the other's eyes on the other.

Without looking towards Iruka, Kakashi thought of a simple question that could have gone so many ways.

"SO, where'd you get them from...If it's not too personal?"

Well it is, Iruka was planning to say, but unfortunately, his daughter beat him to the answer. His obnoxious daugher beat him to it.

"Our other parents either did care or were just irresponsible," she huffed in a large gasp of air as a result of her quick response, " we don't' really know much of them, and honesty, we don't care to. We have a perfect life in Konoha and the only time i'd want my biological father and mother to see me is when I become a great ninja without their help! We love Iruka, he's the best parent in the world!"

Burne nodded enthusiastically beside him.

_Such charisma!_ Kakashi thought to himself, _just like...just like her mother._

The ramen bowls were placed before each of them.

Meanwhile, Iruka felt as if bricks were weighing him down. "Emmy, help your brother," Iruka instructed as he bit back another yawn.

"You look tired Sensei," Kakashi acknowledged lazily, "working in the missions room again?"

"You have a lot of questions," Iruka, obviously annoyed and tired, spat back at the Jounin.

"And you have good answers," Kakashi replied cooly, his one eye going directly to the scene next to him.

"Stop! Don't put it in my mouth like that, you're not even blowing on it!" an angry boy cried as his sister forced chopsticks full scolding hot noodles into his mouth.

"I'm not blowing on it, don't you have enough sense to do that!" she cried impatiently.

Kakashi watched the two argue. He was somewhat amused.

"He told you to help me!' Burne retorted as he reached out his hands to push her away.

"Now stop!' Iruka shouted, too tired to manually separate them, "Just stop it."

They both turned towards him, obviously still very angry at each other.

Turning around back to his bowl, somewhat defeated, an idea sparked in Burne's mind.

This man beside him felt trustworthy.

"You," he turned towards Kakashi, reaching his hands out slightly, "haven't eaten at all.I can tell. My food is hot, yours is cold...can I share with you?"

Kakashi was surprised. All this time, he was being analyzed and spied on. What a deceptive little boy. If people got past his blindness, he'd make a good spy.

However, his tendency to want to eat Kakashi's food was a downfall. Sharing food was a sign of trust, a sign of understanding and agreement. A trait such as this, even if it was very small, got ninja killed daily.

This, definitely, was a trait he'd gotten from Iruka. Open kindness and hospitality, trustworthiness right off of the bat. Kakashi was well guarded, his trust was earned, not given.

Yet a strand of Iruka shown brightly in this boy.

He decided to play along. He could feel all eyes on him, more importantly, the teachers eyes.

So, taking his chopsticks apart and twirling them in the surface of his ramen bowl, he agreed to the child's request.

Burne's blind eyes lit up with excitement as he sensed the noodles coming his way. Opening his small mouth, he allowed Kakashi to place the noodles on his tongue.

A cool gust of air blew through the village, and the smells of the village illuminated the sky. Burne's scent filled Kakashi's covered nostrils, as well as Emmy's.

Kakashi sighed as he continued feeding Burne.

OOOOO  
**Finally! I'm so tired, so very tired. I think my writing got a little sloppy at the end. I blame this on the fact that i'm not entirely good at writing family centered fics, usually, my fics are "lovely, dark and deep..." as Robert Frost quotes it, so this entire family thing is complicated for me to write. (side note, Kakashi's past girlfriend and his past as well will be discussed in later chapters)But fear not, i will not fail! Anyway, I BETA'd this myself (like I always do), so sorry if I missed anything. Also, sorry if the characters are a little passive and shallow, i'm trying to work on that. Please, helpful reviews and constructive criticism is welcome! I'm so very tired, and i'm working on two other stories at the moment. Anyway, what have you all thought about the recent Naruto chapters? I've hated them, tell me what you think. Anyway, have a nice weekend, and God bless.**


	5. Tired

Iruka watched the scene unfold before him, and assumed that if Naruto had been more intelligent, he'd see the striking resemblance between the two and would hastily come up with a conclusion. But that was Sakura's job, she was the intelligent one.

They looked so alike, it was almost eerie. Silver hair, pale skin, grey eyes, It was like looking in a mirror, or through a time machine.

The image could almost be that of a happy family, and Iruka suddenly felt his face reddening as he imagined Kakashi being the father he was supposed to be, even, perhaps living with the chunin himself.

However, as quickly as he imagined the mere image of a happy family, he shook the idea out of his head. Obviously, Kakashi didn't love him, didn't feel anything for him. And, Iruka could deal with that, he didn't mind. He was contempt with loneliness, at least regarding his love life.

He yawned and looked at both children, and realized they were almost done eating.

"Kakashi, sorry about..." Iruka began, regarding Burne's impulsive behavior, "about your ramen."  
He wondered why he hadn't apologized earlier, why he hadn't apologized the instant it had happened. Perhaps, in Iruka's mind, a father feeding his son wasn't an act that should deserve an apology, but Iruka reminded himself that Kakashi hadn't wanted these children, not in the least.

However, there were obvious signs pointing to the fact that Kakashi had already known these kids were his, and perhaps, that's why he hadn't made a fuss?

Anyway, Iruka was exhausted and needed rest, both Emmy and Burne were done eating.

"Come on you two, let's go," he said as he fumbled in his pocket for money, "here, this should cover it."

He placed his money on the counter.

"Thank you, Kakashi san," Burne chirped to Kakashi as he slid off of the stool and grasped Iruka's pant leg, "You can have my Ramen."

Emmy followed soon afterwards, "By Naruto, by Kakashi san!"

"See you three later," Naruto called happily as he placed his money on the counter, "See ya Ichiraku."

The Ramen man waved and began to close down shop, and Kakashi silently stalked the trio walking down the dark alley. He could practically sense Iruka's chakra leaking out, courtesy of exhaustion. There would be no use in the chunin collapsing in the street, therefore, Kakashi decided to lend a hand.

Using a bit of tai jutsu to appear on the side of the family, Kakashi quickly made himself known before he started the tired chunin.

"Mind if I escort you home Sensei, your chakra's leaking, you could collapse any second," and truly, he could. Looking at the young man, he could tell that Iruka was tired, and not just physically either.

He felt bad, and suddenly realized that part of Iruka Sensei's problem was partly his fault.

Iruka didn't argue, instead, he confided in it. He was stubborn, but he was smart enough to recognize his weaknesses, and the possibility of passing out was a growing one.

"Here," Kakashi offered as kind gesture noticing the two children practically dragging on Iruka's leg, "I'll take them."  
Iruka raised an eyebrow and looked toward his legs. They did look tired, and Iruka didn't have the strength to carry them. Kakashi did.

"Okay," Iruka gave in, "just be careful with them."

Kakashi bent down and scooped the two children up into his arms, "Don't worry, i'm just helping Iruka Sensei, he's very tired and can't function with you two lagging onto his leg."

As tired as they were, they didn't protest, and Kakashi mentally high fived himself for getting this far.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him, and both eyelids fluttered simultaneously. Kakashi inwardly chuckled, they were kinda cute. He had to hand it to himself, he made good looking kids. But looking at a staggering, Iruka he concluded that children sharing identical looks to that of the Chunin would be cuter.

He'd enjoy making children with Iruka.

As if he'd spoken the thought out loud, Iruka stared at him, an awkward eyebrow rasied. "Kakashi-san, why are you staring?" he asked almost amused, "is there something the matter with my face?"

Kakashi's face reddened under his mask, and he hastily searched for the quickest and most believable answer.

"Your scar,"Kakashi rolled off of his tongue, "is distracting."

Obviously offended, Iruka glared daggers at Kakashi, "I'll have you know, I received this_"  
"I meant distracting in a good way!" Kakashi replied before Iruka could get any angrier. The man was well known for his temper.

"In a good way?" Iruka asked curiously, and slowly, his heart rate began slowing and the redness in his face slowly receded, "I really don't know how being distracted can be a good thing."

"Like a drug," Kakashi offered as their slow pace continued, his voice suddenly becoming husky, almost serious and distant, "an addiction."

Iruka gulped at the sudden change in atmosphere and looked towards his two kids, "We're almost there Kakashi-san...it's late, very late."

Kakashi nodded, and Iruka took note of the atmosphere slowly letting loose.

"If you don't' mind, you could...stay a while, we have spare room. You know, just if you're too tired to go home tonight," he said rather awkwardly, bringing a finger to his scar, "You've been kind...and well...seeing as you have tough missions and whatnot, I wouldn't want you to have to go home tired like I'm doing...so why don't you just stay over?"

IRuka was incredibly humble, and Kakashi would be a fool to decline his offer. Besides, this is what he wanted, wasn't it? To be with Iruka?

Something about it seemed too easy though, I mean, he was already being invited into the man's house. But, Iruka was naturally courteous like that, so perhaps the gesture hardly meant anything, or perhaps the chunin was far too tired to think properly.

Nevertheless, with a grin hidden under his mask, Kakashi accepted the generous offer and continued to follow the sleepy teacher.

OOOOO  
**Yawn...i'm tired. Finally! I know it's been awhile since i've updated, i've just hit a major writes block! I hope you all like this chapter, feel free to tell me if you think that the pace is going too fast, or if they're outta character. Anyway, if you haven't read the manga, i'd skip this part: I hope that Obito didn't kill kakashi and vice-versa. But hey, if Neji, Inoichi and Shikaku died, then I wouldn't be surprised if he killed off Kakashi. But, considering the fact that Kakashi is expelled from Obito's world, than he has many opportunities to be healed. Tsunade, Sakura, Katsuya, Karin, the new slug and Orochimaru could all pitch in. Anyway, this is BETA'd by me, so there still may be some mistakes. I'm thinking of writing a few new stories, one dealing with Kakashi as a prostitute and the other with Sakura as a counselor. And also, check out my two stories, "The Love of a Son," and , "Memories of a Fallen Angel." I dont' own Naruto :D Have a nice week and God bless:D **


	6. AN

AN: Greetings!

Okay, let's just jump the gun. I know you all love this story, like it, etc., but as the author, and after rereading it countless numbers of times, I don't. It's messily put together, things don't make sense, and I can't honestly find a place to end it. At the time I was writing it, i was like, "Write to impress, this is gonna be a good story," but now looking back on it, it makes no sense and is terrible. Things don't connect at all, thing's won't connect and the pace is unpredictable. It's just terrible writing in my opinion, terrible writing for me. It's not believable.

However, i'm posting a revised version. It's probably gonna be called The Love that Binds US V.2, because it's the second version, it will take a more serious and more believable turn. The plot will have some changes in it as well. Some things will stay the same, but there's going to be major changes. I won't delete the original, because I do continue to finish it, however, it will be filled with fluff like it is now, this new revised version is going to be some of my concrete writing. It has a beginning, an end, and a darker plot. A plot that's more believable, however, more understandable, and more justified actions.

When this will be posted, i'm not entirely sure. I set dates, but never get them up, but when I post it, check it out, i'll post an AN on this story when I post it, and perhaps another chapter of the original.

Anyway, have a nice week and God bless:D

Lidsworth


End file.
